Refrigerator construction



A. ELMENDOR F REFRIGERATOR CONSTRUCTION 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb.28

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Dec. 23, 1924. 1152mm A. ELMEN DQRF REFRIGERATOR CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb.28, 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 23, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,520,409 PATENT OFFICE.

ABMIN ELMENDORF, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HASKELITE- MANUFAC-TURING CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

REFRIGERATOR CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed February 28, 1921. Serial No. 448,427.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARMIN ELMENnonr, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Refrigerator Construction, anddeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of thesame, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertainsto make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, which form a part of this specification. 7

In my prior application Serial No. 442,- 406 filed February 4, 1921, Ihave disclosed a novel form of heat insulating material a single sheetof which may be employed to form a wall of the kind that has heretoforebeen made up of a plurality of sheets or layers.

The present invention has for its object to produce a simple and noveldesign of a refrigerator or the like which will permit the aforesaidheat insulatin material or a similar material to be emp oyed mostadvantageously.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterizedwill hereinafter he pointed out with particularity in the claims; but,for a full understanding of my invention and of its object andadvantages, reference may be had to the following detailed descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanyin drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top p an view of a refrigerator constructed in accordancewith my invention, a portion being shown in section; Fig. 2 is a frontview of the refrigerator, a portion of the top and of one of the sidewalls being shown in section;

Fig. 3

is a section, either horizontal or vertical, on an enlarged scale throuh a corner of the refrigerator shown in igs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, illustrating a construction adaptedto be employed where rounded corners are desired;

Fig. 5 is a vertical se ction through the top and back wall of amodified form of refrigerator Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5,showing only a fragment of the metal lining; an

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 5, showing a slightly difierentarrangement.

In accordance with my invention the walls of the refrigerator are madeof single sheets or slabs of my improved construction material, thesesheets or slabs being preferably shaped and finished in the process ofmanufacturing them, so that they'need only be assembled by therefrigerator manufacturer.

In all the forms of my invention, the individual slabs are made of athick core sheet of heat insulating material, and comparatively thinsheathing layers glued to the broad faces thereof; the constructionbeing preferably that disclosed in my aforesaid application. Thus, inthe arrangement shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, each wall is made of a thickcore member, a, of heat insulating material, preferably cork board, anouter sheathing, b, and an inner sheathing, 0. Each wall is in the formof a single panel, cut so as to make with the remaining walls anydesired kind of joints. In the arrangement shown, the top wall, 1,extends across the tops of the several side walls, three of which areindicated at 2, 3 and 4, while two of the side walls of which the sidewall 3 is one, lie between the two other side walls. The walls whoseedges engage with the inner faces of the adjacent walls have theirsheathing layers extended so as to cover the ends or edges of the latterwalls. lhus the side wall 3 has its outer sheathing, 5, extended acrossthe ends of the walls 2 and 4; while all of the side walls have theirouter sheathing extended upwardly across the ends of the top wall 1. Thecork board is not a suitable material for receiving-screws, nails orsimilar fastening means, nor is it a suitable material to insure aperfect glued joint when the slabs are assembled to form a walledstructure. I therefore place along the edges of the cork board core,between the sheathing layers, and forming an enclosing frame for thecore, wooden cleats, d, which are glued in place.

The several slabs of which a refrigerator is to be made having beenmanufactured in completed form, they need only be assembled in theproper way to produce the shell of a refrigerator; being glued togetheror being held together by means of screws or the like, or by means ofglue and screws both; the solder being placed along the lines of contactbetween the metal linings if the inner surfaces of the walls or slabs beof metal.

lhe detail of the walls and the joints is shown in Fig. 3. It will beseen that the exterior sheathing is made of a comparatively thick coremember, 5, of wood and facing layers, 6 and 7, of wood veneer; while theinner sheathing is made up of a comparatively thick wooden core, 8, andfacing layers, 9 and 10, "of wood veneer, there being a .layer of sheetmetal, 11, overlying the veneer 10. Those of the walls which together inany one of a plurality of ways.

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated an arrangement similar to that in Fig. 3,except that y the upper Wall or slab does not extend entirely across theupper edge of the side or back slab, leaving room for a finishing piece,15, resting against the end of the top slab and upon that portion of theside or back slab which is left uncovered'by the top slab. In thisarrangement the outer sheathing, b, of the upright slab does not projectbeyond the cleat, d. In this arrangement, also, I have illustrated howthe several slabs may be held together by means of screws, a long screw,16, extending entirely through that portion of the top slab in which thecleat lies, down into the cleat fprning the upper edge of the underlyings a In Fig. 5 I have illustrated an arrangement in which the sheathingon the inner side of the walls consists simply of metal, each slabhaving a sheet of metal, 17, between which and the core there may beinterposed a layer'of canton flannel or other fabric, 18, which isimpregnated with blood glue 'and insures a good joint between the metaland the cork board as explained in my prior application. The uprightslab is made the full height of the structure and the horizontal slababuts against the same, the outer sheathing layer of the horizontal wallextending across the top edge of'the upright wall. In this arrangement,the metal lining of the horizontal slab is continued beyond the cleatand is folded back over the cleat as indicated at 19 in Figs, 5 and 6;thus giving a large area of contact between'the two metal linings ateach corner.

In Fig. 7 I have illustrated an arrangement similar to Fig. 3 exceptthat the wooden sheathing is omitted on that side" The outer corners maybe protected,

the horizontal slab; and the marginal por- 'tions, 20, of the metallining of the upright slab being extended and bent back over the cleats.Viewed in another aspect, the construction of Fig. 7 is simply areversal of the construction shown in Fig. 5.

If desired a metal lining, in addition to the metal lining heretoforedescribed, or constituting the only metal lining for'the refrigerator,may be formed as an independent unit and set into the refrigeratorshell.

It will be seen that my invention makes it posible to construct'efiicient refrigerators very cheaply and, by reason of the use ofply-wood for stiffening urposes and cork board for insulation, rerigerators built in accordance with my invention will be much lighterthan ordinary refrigerators and at the same time be strong and durable.

While I have illustrated and described only a single form of myinvention with a few sli ht modifications, I do not desire to be limltedto the exact structural details thus illustrated and described; butintend to cover all forms and arrangements which come within the termsemployed inthe definitions of my invention constituting the appendedclaims.

I claim: v 1

1. A walled structure made up of preformed slabs each comprising a coremember of heat insulating material lying between and permanently securedto an outer sheathing and an inner metal lining, one of the walls lyingagainst an edge of another wall, and the sheathing of the latter wallbeing extended across and engaging with the adjacent edge of the otherwall.

2. A preformed wall comprising a selfsupporting slab of heat insulatingmaterial. a rame of wood surrounding said slab, and

a sheathing of ply-wood extending across a as-said slab, and sheathingmembers lying on opposite sides of said slab and said frame and firmlyunited thereto.

5. A preformed wall comprising a self slab surrounding the latter,

naaaaoe I supporting slab of heat insulating material a wooden framesurrounding said slab and having approximately the as the slab, and asheet of ply-wood glued to one face of said slab and frame andprojecting beyond the frame at certain of its margins.

6. A. preformed wall comprising a slab of heat insulating material, aframe of wood of approximately the same thickness as the slabsurrounding thelatter, a sheet of plywood glued upon one face of theslab and frame, and a sheet of metal glued upon the oppositefaoeof saidslab and frame.

'7. A preformed wall comprising a slab of heat insulating material, aframe'of wood of approximately the samethickness as the a sheet ofplywood glued upon one face of the slab and frame, and a sheet ofmetalglued upon the same thickness.

8. A walled structure made up of slabs each formed of a core of heatinsulating material having along an edge a wooden cleat of approximatelythe same thickness as the core, and a sheathing layer extending acrossone face of the corev and the corresponding face of said cleat; thecleated end of one of said slabs lying against the side-of a second slaband engaging with the cleat I thereon; and an outer sheathing on thefirst I of said slabs extending beyond the cleat and overlyingthe ole-at,on said second slab.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification.

Armin ELMENDonr,

